apply for one-day license plate

If you transport your car to an inspection station yourself, you must apply for a free one-day registration certificate from the RDW. You can apply for this license plate when you make an appointment for the inspection examination. The application for a one-day registration certificate at the RDW may take a few days and will be sent to you as soon as possible.

The one day license plate allows you to transport your car to the inspection station. The license plate is only valid in the Netherlands and only on the day of the examination. When you transport your car to the inspection station, you have to apply the one day license plate in black letters on a plate with a white background and mount it on your car. This does not have to be an original license plate.

If you bought your car in Germany, for example, you can drive to the inspection station with the one-day license plate. Since the license plate is only valid in the Netherlands you will have to replace your temporary foreign license plate with your one-day license plate when crossing the border.

Import examination without appointment

You can present your imported vehicle on working days from 08.00 to 12.00 hours without an appointment at an RDW inspection station for a license plate examination. This applies to vehicles no heavier than 3500 kg. For vehicles heavier than 3500 kg, however, you must make an appointment.

Exceptions are:
Tricycles and quads, Monday and Tuesday only without appointment
Mopeds (by appointment only)
Vehicles from outside the EU/EFTA (e.g. America), which entered into service after December 31, 1997 and do not have a CVO (by appointment only)

A CVO is the written proof a manufacturer can issue for a vehicle built to a particular type approval. A CVO allows you to prove that the vehicle meets the approval requirements.

The RDW processes the applications in order of receipt. The premise of this arrangement is to save time for you. Should it still be particularly busy, the employee at the inspection station will make an appointment with you on a new date.

How do I make a telephone examination appointment?

To make an inspection appointment, you can contact an employee of an RDW inspection station by telephone. They can also give you information about the documents you need to bring. The telephone number is: 0900-0739 (€ 0.10 p/m). The inspection stations can be reached from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.